Quite a few things can cause a misfire condition and misfire trouble codes on your 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001 2.0L Honda CR-V.
This could give you the impression that testing the misfire problem is better left to the professionals. Well, let me tell you that's it's simpler than you think!
In this tutorial, I'm gonna' explain a very simple and easy diagnostic strategy that'll help you to get to the bottom of what's causing the misfire condition on your 2.0L Honda CR-V.
Contents of this tutorial:
- Symptoms Of A Misfire Condition.
- What Causes A Misfire Condition.
- What Tools Do I Need?
- STEP 1: Find The Dead Cylinder First.
- STEP 2: Making Sure The Dead Cylinder Is Getting Spark.
- STEP 3: Testing The Compression Of The Dead Cylinder.
- STEP 4: Testing The Dead Cylinder's Fuel Injector.
- STEP 5: Checking For Vacuum Leaks Around Intake Manifold.
- More 2.0L Honda CR-V Tutorials.
You can find this tutorial in Spanish here: Cómo Probar Los Códigos De Falla En Cilindro (1997-2001 2.0L Honda CR-V) (at: autotecnico-online.com).
Symptoms Of A Misfire Condition
In a nutshell, you're gonna' see two specific things: the engine will have a miss and the check engine light will be lit up (with a misfire trouble code stored in the fuel injection computer's memory).
You'll see one or more of the following diagnostic trouble codes (DTC):
- P0300: Random Cylinder Misfire.
- P0301: Cylinder #1 Misfire.
- P0302: Cylinder #2 Misfire.
- P0303: Cylinder #3 Misfire.
- P0304: Cylinder #4 Misfire.
You're also gonna' see one or more of the following:
- Sometimes, even tho' your CR-V is suffering a bonafide misfire, no misfire codes are registered.
- Lack of power upon acceleration.
- Smell of unburned gas exiting the tail pipe.
- Rough idle and may stall.
- Cranks but does not start.
- Will not pass the emissions tests.
- Bad gas mileage.
What Causes A Misfire Condition
As you're probably already aware, each cylinder of your 2.0L Honda CR-V's internal combustion engine needs to have fuel (gasoline), spark, and air (compression) to be able to produce power.
And so, at its core, a misfire is caused by a 'dead' cylinder that's not getting one of three things: fuel, spark, or air (compression).
This also means that the problem could be in the ignition system, which for our testing purposes includes: the spark plug wires, the distributor cap, the spark plugs.
Or the problem could be in the fuel system. The fuel system components that could cause a misfire are: the fuel injectors and the fuel pump.
Or the problem could be an engine mechanical problem that's causing a low compression value in the 'dead' cylinder. Also, it could be a vacuum leak.
What Tools Do I Need?
The cool thing about testing a misfire trouble code is that you don't need any exotic or expensive tools.
- A spark tester.
- Engine compression tester.
- Multimeter.
Most the tools you'll need you can borrow at your local auto parts store.
STEP 1: Find The Dead Cylinder First
The very first step is to identify the 'dead' cylinder by checking for trouble codes with a scan tool or code reader.
Once the dead cylinder is found, then we can focus on finding out what it's missing (spark, fuel, or compression).
The way to find out which is the misfiring trouble code is by connecting a scan tool or trouble code reader to your 2.4 Honda CR-V.
Once you have the misfire trouble code you can identify which cylinder is the one the computer is accusing of misfiring.
- P0300: Random Cylinder Misfire.
- P0301: Cylinder #1 Misfire.
- P0302: Cylinder #2 Misfire.
- P0303: Cylinder #3 Misfire.
- P0304: Cylinder #4 Misfire.
Once you've extracted the specific cylinder misfire trouble code, the next step is to make sure that the dead (misfiring) cylinder is getting spark. Go to: STEP 2: Making Sure The Dead Cylinder Is Getting Spark.